RADNOR, PA—Sometimes a little familiarity works. Take the case of Malvern Prep’s third meeting with Penn Charter, for example. Philadelphia’s Inter-Academic League rivals met in the semifinal round of the Inter-Ac Invitational on Saturday at Cabrini College, and neither team you can say had anything to hide.

A little familiarity certainly helped Malvern Prep’s Keith Dreyer, who pumped four goals home in the Friars’ 6-4 semifinal victory over Penn Charter, setting up an Inter-Ac Invitational final against the nation’s No. 1 team, Haverford School, on Wednesday at 7 p.m. back at Cabrini.

The Friars (14-5 overall) first had to get by feisty Penn Charter, and somehow stymie Quakers’ attack Joe Sankey and find a way by Penn Charter goalie Jackson Tamasitis. Dreyer solved one issue, while Malvern Prep’s defense, especially senior Wes Pancoast, curtailed Sankey.

“We knew goals would come at a premium,” Friars’ coach Dave Metzbower said. “When Jackson gets hot, he’s tough to beat, and he really looked great at times. Wes did a great job, but our whole defense did a great job.”

There was a stubborn give-and-take throughout the first half. Tamasitis was particularly brilliant for Penn Charter (12-11) in opening first two quarters, making nine of his 17 saves. What changed the course of the game came in a six-second blip, highlighted by Dreyer.

The senior attack snapped a tight 2-1 game with a pair of goals six seconds apart in the third quarter, giving Malvern Prep a 4-1 edge, an advantage the Friars never relinquished.

“We did have trouble shooting the ball in the first half,” said Dreyer, who’s headed to Air Force. “Getting it by Jackson can be tough, but after facing him before, I thought I could finally score on him and I knew where to shoot. The second goal wasn’t really me, though, that was [faceoff man] Drew Kennedy who made that happen.”

What was it in the end, what was it really that helped the Friars get by Penn Charter, not always an easy task when two teams meet three times, and one team has beaten the other twice?

“In all three games, we felt like we were the better team, that they couldn’t win,” Pancoast said. “They like to throw the ball to the backside, and it’s something we knew. We tried to keep Sankey as contained the best we could.”

“We gave them a little run, but their defense and goalies played very well,” Penn Charter coach Pat McDonough said. “We certainly got our looks, but when you get your chances, you have to capitalize on them and we didn’t.”

Now Malvern Prep faces Haverford School next—for the third time this season, after being winless the first two times.

Recruit Watch: Dreyer is tough to corral. He’s big, rangy, and much faster than he looks. He was a difference-maker, and Air Force has to be especially pleased with picking up such a talent. Sankey, though he had a tough day, is as dangerous a dodger as there in the country. The North Carolina-bound attack caused problems each time he had the ball, generating big attention from the Malvern Prep defense.

Pancoast deserves some props, too, sticking to Sankey as best he could, often denying the quicksilver attack the ball. He did quality work.

Penn Charter’s Tamasitis has shown he can be special. He certainly was in the first half against Malvern Prep.